Snow compacting and removal apparatus

ABSTRACT

A snow removal device, adapted to be installed on a motor vehicle, for compacting, transporting and discharging snow, includes: 
     (a) a rectangular box-shaped structure for carrying snow, the structure having a front panel, side panels and rear gate panel which is can be opened to permit the snow to be discharged;
 
(b) a compactor plate, disposed substantially vertically in the box-shaped structure, for pushing snow inside the structure toward the rear gate panel;
 
(c) a screw mechanism which moves the compactor plate from a point adjacent the front panel toward the rear gate panel, thereby compacting the snow, and back again; and
 
(d) a snow blower mechanism, preferably attachable to and detachable from the front of the motor vehicle, for collecting and blowing snow into the open top of the box-shaped structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns apparatus, adapted to be carried by a transport vehicle such as a truck, for compacting snow and for ejecting the compacted snow after removal to a different location.

In cold climates the removal of snow from city streets and parking lots is a difficult problem for governments and private concerns alike. Traditionally, snow removal in cities has involved plowing snow to the side of the roadway or parking lot and removing it using a snow blower, front-end loader or the like to fill dump trucks that, in turn, haul the snow away to a dumping area. The costs of such operations are often immense when snowfall is heavy. One of the main charges is for rental and operation of the trucks. Any reduction in the number of runs the trucks must make between a snow removal site and a dumping area would result in cost savings for the operation.

One way to reduce the number of trips such trucks must make is to load the trucks with compacted snow or to compact the snow that has been loaded on the trucks. Snow compacting apparatus has been described in Richardson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,147; Breckbill, U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,053; Newell, Canadian Pat. No. 957,559; Broman, Canadian Pat. No. 985,951; and Huckill, Canadian Pat. No. 714,752.

These references teach compacting the snow into relatively smaller “bales” that are then loaded into the trucks for delivery to the dumping area. However, the Watson U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,824 concerns a specially-built truck which receives snow introduced by separate mechanism (not shown) into a hopper opening at the top. The truck has a rectangular box-shaped body forming a large “compacting chamber” with an openable rear gate through which the compacted snow is discharged when the truck is driven to a dumping area.

The snow is compacted by a hydraulically-operated, articulated arm with a hydraulically-movable blade at one end. The arm and blade repeatedly push the snow, received through the hopper opening, toward the rear of the truck body, compacting it with each motion cycle until the truck is full. After the truck has been driven to the dumping area, the blade pushes the compacted snow out the rear gate.

Due to the massive size and the relative complexity of the articulated arm, this apparatus is expensive to manufacture and difficult to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal objective of the present invention to provide apparatus which compacts snow on a transport vehicle to form a block of compacted snow the size of the load carrying space of the vehicle.

It is a further, more specific objective of the present invention to provide apparatus of the aforementioned type which is simpler to manufacture and use than snow compacting apparatus known heretofore.

These objectives, as well as further objectives which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, according to the present invention, by providing a snow compactor and carrier device, adapted to be mounted on a transport vehicle chassis, for compacting and transporting snow, and which comprises:

(a) a rectangular box-shaped structure, having a central longitudinal axis, that is open at the top and has a floor panel, two opposite side panels, a front panel and an openable rear gate panel; (b) a compactor plate, oriented substantially vertically in the box-shaped structure, for pushing snow inside the structure toward the rear gate panel, when closed, to compact the snow; and (c) a device for moving the compactor plate, while maintaining its substantially vertical orientation, from a point adjacent the front panel of the structure toward the rear gate panel and back again.

The compactor plate operates to repeatedly compact snow that enters through an open top of the structure until the structure is loaded and thereafter, after opening the rear gate panel, to push and discharge the snow out the rear.

According to the invention, the device for moving the compactor plate back and forth within the structure preferably comprises:

(1) one or more elongate screw rods that extend parallel to the central longitudinal axis of the structure and transverse to the compactor plate. The screw rod(s) have an external screw thread that mates with an internal screw thread in a rod bearing on the compactor plate; and (2) one or more drive mechanisms, such as electric motors, operative to rotate the screw rod(s) either clockwise or counter-clockwise, as required, to move the compactor plate toward or away from the rear gate panel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the snow carrier device, the rear gate panel includes a single panel that is hinged at the top and is operable to open outward from the bottom or, alternatively, two parallel panels that are hinged on their opposite sides and are operable to open outward from the center.

To prevent snow from entering the internal space between the front panel and the compactor plate, the box-shaped structure preferably further includes a top panel that extends between the front panel and the compactor plate. The top panel advantageously includes a plurality of interleaved sections that telescope outward in the longitudinal direction when the compactor plate is moved outward toward the rear panel and which retract to a single section when the compactor plate is drawn back toward the front panel.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the top panel sections include a vertically extending lip on their opposing lateral edges to form a “trough” for collecting snow that falls thereon.

The upper surface of the top panel is also preferably coated with TEFLON®.

The drive mechanisms (e.g. electric motors) are preferably housed in a rectangular enclosure that forms the front panel of the box-shaped structure.

When retracted, the top panel sections are preferably housed in a separate enclosure mounted directly above the enclosure forming the front panel.

During operation of the snow carrier device, a snow blower module, detachably mounted on the front of the transport vehicle, collects the snow and blows it through a pipe into the open top of the snow compactor and carrier device.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference should now be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a transport vehicle (e.g., a truck) having (1) a rectangular box-shaped structure, mounted on the rear truck chassis, with a built-in snow compactor, and (2) a snow blower module, detachably mounted on the front.

FIG. 2 is a diagram, shown partly in phantom to reveal its internal components, of the rectangular box-shaped structure shown in FIG. 1 that serves as a snow compactor and carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Identical elements in the two figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

The present invention makes use of two different technologies on a single transport vehicle to greatly facilitate snow clearing in areas where space is at a premium. When equipped with the invention, the vehicle, for example a truck, can easily remove the snow entirely, in a single pass, from those locations where the snow cannot readily be pushed aside as with a conventional snow-plow. Given the growing severity of winter storms due to climate change, coupled with ever-tighter municipal budgets, there is an increasing need for such a solution, as was evidenced in Boston, Mass., during its devastating winter of 2014/15.

The two individual components, mounted on a single heavy-duty truck platform, are: (1) a detachable snow-thrower module mounted on the front that can direct the snow UP, OVER and BEHIND the truck cab, dumping it into (2) a specialized snow compactor and carrier device (“The Box”) which compacts the snow and dumps a full load at a different location. Each of the components is powered by a separate auxiliary drive mechanism.

“The Box” is a very robust, open-topped rectangular container built around a heavy-duty compacting plate driven by twin power-screws. When activated, the plate travels horizontally down the full length of the rectangular box, moving freely all the way to an openable rear panel. Attached to the top edge of the compactor plate is a telescoping TEFLON®-coated “trough” with low, reinforcing side walls, that unfolds as the plate moves toward the rear, providing a “roof” over the growing gap between the plate and the truck cab, thus preventing snow accumulation on the “wrong” side of the compactor plate, while also serving as a “conveyor belt” of sorts that itself delivers the incoming snow to the box.

The rear panel of The Box can, in fact, be a hinged gate or twin doors that are locked closed during the collection phase of the operation. This rigid gate therefore serves as the fixed surface against which the incoming compacting plate compresses the snow. The compacting function of the plate maximizes the capacity of The Box far beyond a load of loose snow, and also serves to empty The Box, discharging the snow through the rear panel when opened.

As the truck drives forward, it gathers-up and blows the snow straight back into The Box as it goes, depositing the accumulating load on the rearward side of the fully retracted compactor plate at first. Once a sufficient mound of snow has accumulated in The Box, the driver activates the compactor, which then compresses this first mound against the rigid rear panel surface. During this operation, the compactor plate pulls the telescoping trough out of its housing, which continues to capture the incoming snow as it extends. This permits the vehicle to continue moving forward without a pause. The compactor plate is then partially retracted, causing the snow that has been accumulating in the extended telescoping “trough” to be shoved toward the rear as it gets shorter, by an upward-extending central flange on the trough housing, the snow sliding easily thanks to the TEFLON® coating. As a result, the accumulated snow in the trough is itself dropped into The Box as the trough retracts, thus enhancing the collection process in The Box. This entire sequence is repeated until The Box is full. The truck driver then shuts off the snow-thrower module and drives away.

With The Box now substantially full, and with the compactor plate and the trough both fully retracted, the truck can be driven to a disposal site and backed into position. The rear gate is then opened and the compactor plate is triggered one last time. However now, as the compactor plate travels rearward, it “extrudes” the compacted snow out the back, emptying the box. The rear gate is then closed, and the truck sets out to collect a fresh load.

The present invention is not intended to supplant conventional snow-plows and/or snow-blowers in all situations. Its primary purpose is to remove snow in those environments where there is no room to shove the snow aside. This system is well-suited to large parking lots at malls and entertainment venues, and residential areas with narrow streets, where cars must park at the curb. Of course, the truck can be put to work removing snow from any other location, such as centralized collection points, where they are loaded in a more conventional fashion with front-end loaders from the side, for example, but its primary mission is for operations in tight quarters such as those described above.

A truck that incorporates the present invention is not foreseen as a special-purpose “one-season” vehicle, however, but as a flexible piece of heavy equipment adaptable to year-round use. It can retain The Box, with the snow-thrower module removed, and can then serve, for example, as a conventional snow-plow/road sander/salter in winter, or as a three-season bulk-trash/cargo hauler, with the compacting feature available when needed to empty the container. Also, the simple, low-profile compacting action of The Box eliminates the need for complex and space-stealing hydraulics needed to empty gravity-driven tilting dump trucks, for example, whose height also has to be accounted for.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the present invention is that it entirely obviates the need for two separate machines, and two crews, that are otherwise required to collect the snow. This known solution to the problem of relocating snow typically includes a conventional open-topped hauler paired with a huge, front-end loader working alongside. This operation can be impossibly slow, agonizingly difficult, expensive to execute and fraught with insurance risks in a residential neighborhood with its narrow streets clogged with parked cars, driveways, overhead wires, overhanging trees and the like. This situation is especially prevalent in older, densely-populated cold-weather cities of the Northeastern U.S., as well as in Canada, Europe and Asia.

Referring now to the figures, FIG. 1 shows a truck 10 incorporating the two components that, together, serve to load, compact, transport and unload snow. The components are (1) an otherwise conventional snow blower/snow thrower module 12, detachably mounted on the front of the vehicle, and (2) The Box 14, mounted on the truck rear chassis behind the truck cab 16. The Box receives snow blown through a pipe 18 by the module 12.

FIG. 2 shows The Box 14 in phantom view, revealing its internal parts and structure. The Box comprises a front panel 20, a floor 22, two sides 24A and 24B and a rear gate panel 26. The rear gate is openable, either as a single unit or in the form of two separate doors, as shown, that swing outward.

Oriented vertically, within The Box, is a compactor plate 28 that is driven rearward toward the rear gate and drawn back toward the front by two rods 30A and 30B with external threads. These rods extend through rod bearings 32A and 32B in the compactor plate, each bearing having and internal thread that mates and engages with the external thread of its respective rod.

The rods 30A and 30B are rotated, clockwise and counter-clockwise as the case may be, by electric drive motors 34A and 34B. Instead of electric motors it will be understood that the rods could also be rotated (driven) by an auxiliary power take-off from the truck engine, or by a separate gasoline engine.

The electric motors 34A and 34B are located within an enclosure 36, which in part forms the front panel 20 of The Box. Mounted above this enclosure 36 is a second enclosure 38 that houses a telescoping “roof trough” 40 comprised of telescoping roof sections 40A, 40B, 400, etc., covering the space between the front panel 20 and the compactor plate 28. Because the rearmost section 40C is connected to the compactor plate, these sections are pulled and telescope outward, extending toward the rear of The Box, when the compactor plate moves rearward. Conversely, the sections are pushed and collapse together toward the front, as the compactor plate moves back, where they are collected within the housing 38.

The telescoping roof panel is provided with vertically extending lips 42A and 42B on its opposing lateral edges to form a “trough” for collecting the snow that falls or is blown onto it when the compactor plate moves rearward. The upper surface of the roof panel is coated with TEFLON® to facilitate the removal of this collected snow by the face (the central flange) of the enclosure 38 when the compactor plate moves rearward.

There has thus been shown and described a novel snow compacting and removal apparatus which fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which follow. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A snow carrier device, adapted to be mounted on a transport vehicle chassis, for compacting and transporting snow, said carrier device comprising, in combination: (a) a rectangular box-shaped structure having a central longitudinal axis, said box-shaped structure having an opening at the top for receiving snow and having a floor panel, two opposite sidewall panels, a front panel and a rear gate panel which is openable to permit the snow contents of the structure to be discharged, (b) a compactor plate, disposed substantially vertically in the box-shaped structure, for pushing snow inside the box-shaped structure toward the rear gate panel; and (c) means for moving the compactor plate, while maintaining its substantially vertical orientation, from a point adjacent the front panel of the box-shaped structure toward the rear gate panel thereof and back again, said moving means including: (1) at least one elongate screw rod adapted for installation in the box-shaped structure, extending parallel to said central longitudinal axis and transverse to the compactor plate, said screw rod having an external screw thread that mates with the internal screw thread in the rod bearing on the compactor plate; and (2) at least one drive mechanism, mechanically connected to selectively rotate said at least one screw rod either clockwise or counter-clockwise and thereby cause said compactor plate to move back and forth within the box-shaped structure in the direction of the central longitudinal axis; thereby to repeatedly compact snow that enters through an open top of the box-shaped structure until the structure is sufficiently loaded with snow and thereafter, after opening the rear gate panel, to discharge the compacted snow out the rear of the box-shaped structure.
 2. The snow carrier device of claim 1, wherein the rear gate panel includes a single panel that is hinged at the top and is operable to open outward from the bottom.
 3. The snow carrier device of claim 1, wherein the rear gate panel includes two parallel panels that are hinged on opposite sides and are operable to open outward from the center.
 4. The snow carrier device of claim 1, wherein the box-shaped structure further includes a top panel disposed above the space between the front panel and the compactor plate to prevent snow from entering said space.
 5. The snow carrier device of claim 4, wherein the top panel includes a plurality of telescoping sections which extend outward in the longitudinal direction when the compactor plate is moved toward the rear panel and which retract and assemble together when the compactor plate is moved toward the front panel.
 6. The snow carrier device of claim 5, wherein the box-shaped structure further comprises a first rectangular enclosure that forms the front panel and houses said drive mechanism.
 7. The snow carrier device of claim 6, wherein the box-shaped structure further includes a second enclosure mounted above the first enclosure, said second enclosure having an opening slot on a side facing the rear gate panel for entry and exit of the telescoping sections of the top panel, said second enclosure housing said telescoping sections when in the retracted position.
 8. The snow carrier device of claim 7, wherein said second enclosure has an upstanding flange above said opening slot to catch snow that has fallen onto the top panel when the telescoping sections thereof are retracted, thereby causing said snow to drop into the space between the compactor plate and the rear gate panel.
 9. The snow carrier device of claim 4, wherein each telescoping section of the top panel includes a vertically extending lip on its opposing lateral edges to form a “trough” for collecting snow that falls thereon.
 10. The snow carrier device of claim 4, wherein the upper surface of the top panel is coated with TEFLON®.
 11. A truck for compacting and transporting snow, said truck having a truck cab and a truck body, arranged behind the cab along a central longitudinal axis of the truck, said truck body comprising a rectangular box-like structure having a floor panel, two opposite sidewall panels, a front panel and a rear gate panel which is openable to permit the contents of the truck body to be discharged, said truck body incorporating snow compacting means which comprises, in combination: (a) a compactor plate, arranged substantially vertically within said truck body and having at least one rod bearing with an internal screw thread; and (b) means for moving the compactor plate within the truck body, while maintaining its substantially vertical orientation, from a point in the vicinity of the front panel toward the rear gate panel and back again, said moving means including: (1) at least one elongate screw rod extending parallel to said central longitudinal axis and transverse to the compactor plate, said screw rod having an external screw thread that mates with the internal screw thread in the rod bearing on the compactor plate; and (2) at least one drive mechanism mechanically connected to selectively rotate said at least one screw rod either clockwise or counter-clockwise and thereby cause said compactor plate to move back and forth within the truck body in the direction of the central longitudinal axis; thereby to repeatedly compact snow that enters through an open top of the truck body until the truck is loaded and thereafter, after opening the rear gate panel, to discharge the snow out the rear of the truck body.
 12. The truck of claim 11, wherein the rear gate panel includes a single panel that is hinged at the top and is operable to open outward from the bottom.
 13. The truck of claim 11, wherein the rear gate panel includes two parallel panels that are hinged on opposite sides and are operable to open outward from the center.
 14. The truck of claim 11, wherein the box-shaped structure further includes a top panel disposed above the space between the front panel and the compactor plate to prevent snow from entering said space.
 15. The truck of claim 14, wherein the top panel includes a plurality of telescoping sections which extend outward in the longitudinal direction when the compactor plate is moved toward the rear panel and which retract and assemble together when the compactor plate is moved toward the front panel.
 16. The truck of claim 15, wherein the box-shaped structure further comprises a first rectangular enclosure that forms the front panel and houses said drive mechanism.
 17. The truck of claim 16, wherein the box-shaped structure further includes a second enclosure mounted above the first enclosure, said second enclosure having an opening slot on a side facing the rear gate panel for entry and exit of the telescoping sections of the top panel, said second enclosure housing said telescoping sections when in the retracted position.
 18. The truck of claim 17, wherein said second enclosure has an upstanding flange above said opening slot to catch snow that has fallen onto the top panel when the telescoping sections thereof are retracted, thereby causing said snow to drop into the space between the compactor plate and the rear gate panel.
 19. The truck of claim 14, wherein each telescoping section of the top panel includes a vertically extending lip on its opposing lateral edges to form a “trough” for collecting snow that falls thereon.
 20. The truck of claim 14, wherein the upper surface of the top panel is coated with TEFLON®.
 21. The truck of claim 11, further comprising a snow blower module arranged in front of the truck cab, said snow blower module having a blow pipe for directing snow picked up by the module into the open top of the truck body. 